659 new jobs are anticipated

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be in Buffalo as our university and region work together to build a strong knowledge economy that is creating vibrant opportunities in life sciences research, health care, advanced manufacturing, data analytics, biotechnology and many other high-impact fields.”

UB President Satish K. Tripathi

University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Eight additional companies –
including Bak USA, an assembler of affordable electronic tablets
– will relocate on or near the University at Buffalo campuses
through their participation in START-UP NY, the innovative tax
incentive program established by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Cuomo announced the companies today during a presentation at the
university.

During the next five years, the companies anticipate hiring 659
employees and investing nearly $10 million in capital
improvements. Two of the companies, Liazon Corporation and
Bak USA, will create 500 and a minimum of 100 jobs,
respectively.

“START-UP NY brings together the best of New York, from
our world-class universities and colleges, our highly-trained and
talented workforce, all our beautiful natural assets, combined with
the added benefit of offering businesses the opportunity to operate
completely tax free,” Cuomo said. "After years of being
ignored by Albany, the Buffalo region is experiencing a rebirth and
a new energy like has not been seen in decades, and it is exciting
to see START-UP NY contributing to Western New York’s
economic revitalization.”

Bak USA will open its U.S.-based headquarters at Compass East,
the former Sheehan Memorial Hospital, at 425 Michigan Ave. on
Buffalo’s East Side. It will occupy 10,000 square feet on the
top floor and start recruiting and training employees by the end of
September.

Local company Liazon Corporation, a provider of private online
benefits exchanges, is expanding in its new headquarters in the
Fairmont Creamery building, 199 Scott St., in Buffalo.

The other companies announced today range from a developer of an
anti-cancer drug to a manufacturer of direct-to-metal 3-D
printers. Two of the companies are relocating to Buffalo from
other cities and the others are local start-ups or are existing
businesses that are expanding under the START-UP NY program.

Each of the companies has strong ties to the university’s
academic and research strengths and each will offer opportunities
to students in the form of internships, scholarships and jobs.

“This is an incredibly exciting time to be in Buffalo as
our university and region work together to build a strong knowledge
economy that is creating vibrant opportunities in life sciences
research, health care, advanced manufacturing, data analytics,
biotechnology and many other high-impact fields,” said UB
President Satish K. Tripathi.

“Clearly, businesses and entrepreneurs around the world
are taking notice, and the governor’s START-UP NY program
plays a vital role in harnessing this interest to bring new
prosperity to our region and state. UB is proud to partner with
these eight innovative companies, and we look forward to the new
opportunities these relationships will bring for our students,
faculty and community.”

With its relocation to Buffalo, Bak USA is poised to become one
of the first companies in the world to produce own-branded
electronic tablets outside Asia. It has selected Buffalo as
its global headquarters for local production and roll-out of its
international Tablet PC Franchise Program.

The company conservatively projects hiring 50 operators and 13
staff members in its first year of operation, with the goal of
producing 80,000 tablets in its first 12 months.

Bak’s founders, Ulla and JP Bak, longtime entrepreneurs
and Danish attorneys, will base the Buffalo operation on the unique
concept they created as part of their activities in Haiti after the
devastating earthquake in 2010. The Danish couple established
Sûrtab SA in Port-au-Prince, where local workers have been
trained to produce Tablet PCs with the dual goal of well-paid jobs
for Port-au-Prince residents, while also producing affordable,
durable tablets that bridge the educational digital gap.

The Baks place socially responsible business practices as a high
priority by hiring and training highly motivated individuals from
communities in need. Their goals include paying workers a living
wage, nurturing staff loyalty, embracing racial and gender equality
and re-investment in local communities.

Bak USA was attracted to Buffalo because of START-UP NY and the
opportunity to partner with UB through collaborative research and
student-training programs. Bak’s interest in Buffalo
and its relocation to the region was coordinated by Buffalo Niagara
Enterprise (BNE) and Phillips Lytle, a premier regional law firm
that is serving as general counsel for Bak USA.

“The START-UP NY program’s substantial benefits, our
newly forged ties with the University at Buffalo, Buffalo Niagara
Enterprise and the law firm of Phillips Lytle have converged to
make the ‘produced by Bak in USA’ operation competitive
in the global market,” said Ulla Bak.

“It is our goal to establish Buffalo as a leading producer
and distributor of tablet PC devices outside of China, by providing
affordable, reliable and secure devices to governments, developing
international communities, businesses, students and individuals not
only in the U.S. but among other places, such as Africa,”
said JP Bak.

“Phillips Lytle is happy to be part of the re-shoring
effort to bring the assembly of electronic devices back into the
U.S.,” said David P. Flynn, a partner in the Buffalo-based
law firm.

BNE President and CEO Thomas Kucharski pointed to multiple
reasons why Bak USA is a great success story for the region.

“Advanced manufacturing and foreign direct investment
opportunities are priorities for our region and important elements
of BNE’s strategic outlook,” he said. “Becoming
one of the first PC tablet producers anywhere in the U.S.,
accompanied by such meaningful job creation and investment in our
urban core, reinforces the value of this industry cluster and the
fact that programs like START-UP NY can help Buffalo Niagara
successfully compete in the global marketplace.”

In June, the governor announced an inaugural
group of eight companies partnering with UB in START-UP NY,
which stands for SUNY Tax-free Areas to Revitalize and Transform
Upstate NY. The statewide program aims to spur economic development
by enabling universities to identify areas where new and expanding
businesses can operate for 10 years without paying New York State
business, corporate, income, sales or property taxes, or franchise
fees.

In total, the 16 companies partnering with UB anticipate
creating 863 jobs and at the outset will occupy 51,446 square feet
among the 276,577 square feet of space designated tax-free zones on
or near the university’s North, South and Downtown
campuses.

Bak USA is an assembler of tablet PC devices primarily marketed
to Third World countries for educational purposes. Bak intends to
engage UB engineering students in a senior design course, which
will provide students with hands-on experience and help the company
advance product development and efficiency. The company also
intends to collaborate with the UB School of Management’s Center for
Entrepreneurial Leadership in development of social
entrepreneurship programs and activities.

Liazon is a provider of private online benefits exchanges.
Alignment with UB: The company will recruit UB graduates with
degrees in management information systems, business, accounting and
marketing. Liazon will pursue research collaborations and
curriculum development with UB faculty in the areas of behavioral
economics, statistics, psychology, data analytics and health
care.

Appistry Inc.
Type of Company: Existing company attracted from St.
LouisCapital Investment: $2,450,000START-UP NY Location: UB’s New York State Center
of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life SciencesSquare Footage: 175Jobs: 8

Appistry partners with premier research hospitals and biotech
companies to develop diagnostics and analyze genomic data using
high-performance computing and the company’s patented
bioinformatics technologies. Alignment with UB: Appistry will
co-locate in UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in
Bioinformatics and Life Sciences and collaborate with UB
researchers. The company will provide internships to graduate
students in bioinformatics.

Biologichem designs and produces value-added chemical products
primarily for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Alignment with UB: Biologichem will be a tenant within the UB STOR
incubator at the Baird Research Park. The company recently hired a
graduate of UB’s doctoral program in chemistry and will
collaborate with UB faculty in product research and
development. Biologichem will continue to contract with
UB’s Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center for research testing
and expertise.

CangetBioTekpharma LLC.
Type of Company: Existing business expanding in Western New
York
Capital Investment: $100,000
START-UP NY Location: UB’s New York State Center
of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences
Square Footage: 150
Jobs: 6

CangetBioTekpharma is an anti-cancer drug developer that
identified a water-insoluble novel drug that can improve outcomes
for advanced late-stage metastatic/relapse colon cancer, among
other cancers. Alignment with UB: CangetBioTekpharma has benefited
from collaborations with UB’s Center for Advanced Biomedical
and Bioengineering Technology (UB CAT) and intends to further
collaborate with UB faculty on product development. The company
will co-locate at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in
Bioinformatics and Life Sciences. The company's founder and
chief science officer is a faculty member at Roswell Park Cancer
Institute.

Clinical Support Services is a software-as-a-service (SaaS)
company in the health care field providing medication management
software to self-insured companies and to the insurance industry.
Alignment with UB: Clinical Support Services will employ interns
and hire graduates from UB’s School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences. The company will continue to provide guest
speakers for UB’s Life Sciences Commercialization Lecture
Series.

IFYE Association of the USA is a not-for-profit international
exchange program that will move its corporate headquarters to
Buffalo and which offers inbound and outbound exchange program
opportunities for young adults. Alignment with UB: The IFYE
Association will provide travel scholarships to UB's Exchange
Programs. The company's executive director will provide
lectures, seminars and mentoring to students.

Vader Systems is a manufacturer of high volume direct-to-metal
3-D printers using the company’s proprietary liquid metal jet
printing technology. Alignment with UB: Vader Systems is developing
its prototype working with UB researchers and UB’s TCIE.